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Municipality Oud-Zuid: CO2 neutral in 2015
Municipality Oud-Zuid of Amsterdam aims to become CO2 neutral in 2015 and commissioned Partners for Innovation to assist in achieving this goal. Partners for Innovation will establish the CO2 footprint of the municipality and develop an appropriate action plan. The Municipal Council will use the scenarios of this plan to make choices about its climate investments. The project started in January and is scheduled for completion in May.
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Partners for Innovation started the Sustainable Lighting Deventer project
On January 1, the project “Sustainable Lighting Deventer: Energy efficient – Better lighting – Higher Turnover” started. The aim is to achieve substantial energy savings in lighting of shops, restaurants and other businesses. Participating companies get technical and financial advice that enables them to move quickly and efficiently from traditional to sustainable lighting. The project sets an example for the Deventer region. Project partners are SME Deventer, Partners for Innovation, Spectrus and Living Projects. The Province Overijssel and Municipality Deventer made this project possible.
More information: Carolien van Merksteijn
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Scoring with Ecodesign: Training of FME College and Partners for Innovation
Together with FME College, the training branch of the Association FME-CMW, Partners for Innovation developed an Ecodesign training for companies in the technology industry. The training is intended for product managers and designers who want to be ready for the new requirements for sustainable procurement and Energy-using Products (EuP). Training dates are March 16 and June 4. Registration can be done online at the FME website. You can also contact Peter Vissers. The training is available in a tailor-made in-company version as well.
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CO2 footprint and CO2 strategy of Belgian Technical Cooperation
Partners for Innovation determined the CO2 footprint and developed the CO2 strategy of the Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC), in conjunction with Prospect C&S. BTC, the Belgian agency for development cooperation, finances development projects in 23 partner countries. The CO2 footprint covered BTC’s activities in 2007 in all their offices worldwide. Footprint and strategy were finalised and adopted by the Executive Board at the end of 2008. Meanwhile, the BTC began with the introduction of the proposed strategy. Partners for Innovation and Prospect were asked to support the introduction of the strategy and to determine the CO2 footprint of 2008.
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Companies with sustainable ambitions may again turn to M&T
The Environment and Technology (M&T) grant scheme of SenterNovem is again open since January 2. The scheme is eligible for industrial SMEs and focuses on feasibility studies for sustainable innovations and on the market introduction of such innovations. Partners for Innovation has achieved several successful projects within this scheme (e.g. the projects Nabasco and Mark). A summary of the scheme can be found here. For further information, please visit the M&T website and consult the M&T project book that includes a project of Partners for Innovation.
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Sustainable Municipalities: “Local energy for a better climate”
In November 2008 the Association of Dutch Municipalities, the Dutch Environment Ministry, the Association Climate Alliance and EnergyTransition organised their 2nd climate conference on sustainable municipalities under the heading “Local energy for a better climate”. The purpose of this conference was to share experiences and inspire each other. Communication partner Maurits Groen chaired the conference. Partners for Innovation was responsible for the live visualisation of the discussions in mind maps, and for producing the conference website that contains background information and the results of the event.
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Partners for Innovation nominated for climate award with “Pluk” project
Partners for Innovation is one of the six nominees for the Eureka! Climate Contest of the Province of North Holland. The idea of Partners for Innovation is to realise nicely designed, sustainable “energy bushes” at road junctions or other public places in cities. Residents can become shareholders and receive a significant return on investment through the financial performance of the bushes. The Province of North Holland and several municipalities have already expressed their interest.
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Partners for Innovation join the Water Footprint Network
Partners for Innovation has joined the recently established Water Footprint Network. The mission of this network is to promote the transition towards sustainable, fair and efficient use of freshwater resources worldwide. Companies can determine the water footprint of their entire organisation or of a specific product(line), following the methodology developed by UNESCO-IHE and Twente University. Founders of the network are IFC, Netherlands Water Partnership, UNESCO-IHE, Twente University, Water Neutral Foundation, WWF and WBCSD.
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Eva Froger joins the team of Partners for Innovation
On March 1 Eva Froger will join the team of Partners for Innovation as consultant in the field of innovation, energy and environment. Eva was trained as a social geographer and has worked over the past years for various government organisations on sustainability projects in the areas of waste, water and landscape.
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Editorial - Eco-innovation: An opportunity in difficult times
Green investing has again ample attention. UNEP launched the ' Green New Deal' in October 2008 with the aim to help governments to transform to a green economy. This is already reflected in several economic recovery plans that indeed include investments in energy and environment, although we are still far from a Green New Deal.
Also close to home there are opportunities for investments in energy and environment. Because of the crisis and recession, every company, organisation and market is evolving rapidly. Quick decisions are made to survive and to reposition in the longer term. We all know that the need for energy efficient and environmentally conscious consumption will only grow. Market-oriented investments in eco-innovation are therefore extremely valuable.
Some recent examples: in December 2008 the WBCSD published a report on how business can have a leading role in sustainable consumption. A few weeks ago, chemical company Rohm&Haas organised a workshop on sustainability as a catalyst for innovation in the European Parliament. And management consultant Accenture advises companies not to cut corners on environmental objectives in the current turbulent times.
At Partners for Innovation, we strive for delivering practical and market-oriented eco-innovations. This newsletter includes again a number of interesting examples. New markets can be found by taking just another way of looking at a sector, organisation, or supply chain. We would be happy helping you to be successful in these markets!
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